Earlier this week, this site linked to a news report on DECAF, a counter-COFEE application. Now it appears that DECAF was a hoax (but see Comment 1, below, that it was not a hoax). The decafeme.org site now reads:
We want to thank every media outlet, financial supporter, security expert, and forensic investigator that showed us support.
As you probably noticed, your copy of DECAF no longer works. We have disabled every copy of DECAF. We hope that as you realize this was a stunt to raise awareness for security and the need for better forensic tools that you would reconsider cutting corners on corporate security. Also, governments should not rely on a tool to automate the process of forensics but rather invest in the education of investigators and forensic tool experts. If we were able to assist every government agency in their computer crime investigations, we would. The problem is DECAF is just two people. As a security community at large, we need to band together and start relieving some of the burden off our government by giving back.
The remainder of the message seems to be pretty much Christianity-oriented.
Thanks to Richard Forno of Infowarrior.org for making me aware of this, and commenter 1 for correcting me in calling it a “hoax.”
The tool worked as advertised, so no hoax. The developers were talked into pulling the tool back, or deactivating it, but you can’t unring a bell as this post explains:
http://praetorianprefect.com/archives/2009/12/reactivating-decaf-in-two-minutes/
Thanks for correcting me on that.